When we fly back to Melbourne every December for our annual Aussiefest our first stop is the Christmas display in one of the department store’s windows. We walk through regular Melbourne inner-city streets and I didn’t notice anything unusual but the Little Missy was concerned as to “why do people paint on the walls”? Sometimes I forget that at 7 she is very much shaped by what she sees and experiences living in Singapore, and graffiti is something you just don’t see here. Walls are typically clean and graffiti-free. Anyone caught grattifi-ing (no idea if this is a word) receives VERY stiff punishment.
But there’s now street art in Singapore!
It’s not graffiti, not even close. The paintings that have appeared on the sides of shophouses facing onto Victoria Street are by renowned artist Ernest Zacharevic. He also painted the street art that adorns some walls in Georgetown, Penang. The paintings are big, bold and fun, with one featuring a real shopping trolley in the painting. They add a certain grittiness to a city that is often considered sterile.
You can see the murals at Jalan Pisang and Jalan Klapa, facing Victoria Street.
I just happened to see these on the weekend, and like you, was super surprised. There was also another building, up the end of Haji Lane (opposite end to Victoria Street), on the side of the Piedra Negro building.
thanks! I’ll have to look for it next time I am in that area. It really adds some urban cool to the area and I think they’ll look even better once they weather a bit.
Great post! He’s actually got some murals in Joo Chiat as well: http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/this-urban-jungle/street-artist-turns-joo-chiat-concrete-slabs-into-minion-art
And his [now covered up] mural in JB was hilarious: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24924283